Page last updated: February 6, 2015 1:40 PM

"One of the most highly celebrated and controversial series of
photos in the Blue Book files are those taken by an official
photographer aboard the Brazilian Navy survey ship, Almirante
Saldanha, off Trindade Island, some 600 miles east of Rio De
Janeiro.

The Blue Book reporting officer's concluding statement makes a
mockery of the case: "It is the reporting officer's private opinion
that a flying saucer sighting would be unlikely at the very barren
island of Trindade as everyone knows Martians are extremely
comfort-loving creatures."

Other comments by the same officer were filled with ridicule of
the Brazilian government and its military. Frankly, I was astonished
that these disparaging statements were not edited by the Air Force
prior to their release. Such bias and flippancy have no place in
scientific investigations.

Because this case has received so much attention over the years,
and has been the subject of so much controversy, the full office of
Naval Intelligence Information Report from the U.S. Naval
Attaché at Rio to Project Blue Book follows:"

1. Announcement. On 21 February, two of the
leading newspapers in Rio de Janeiro printed photographs showing
alleged flying saucer photographed from Brazilian naval ship,
ALMIRANTE SALDANHA, at approximately midday on 16 January 1958 while
the ship was anchored off Trindade Island some 600 miles east of Rio
de Janeiro. The ship at the time was engaged in research as part of
Brazilian Navy participation in the International Geophysical Year.

2. Photographer. The photographs themselves were taken by a
freelance (?) photographer, Almiro Baruna, using his Rolleiflex
camera set at speed 125., lens opening 8, and were developed in a
laboratory in ALMIRANTE SALDANHA. This gentleman has a long history
of photographic trick shots and is well known for such items as false
pictures of treasure on the ocean floor. Another time he prepared a
purposely humorous article, published in a magazine, entitled "A
Flying Saucer Hunted Me at Home," using trick photography. Baruna,
after the release of his latest "flying saucer" photographs, told the
press that the Navy secret service had interrogated him for four
hours concerning his photos. "The negatives were projected in large
size on a screen. If there were any trick, the gigantic projection
would have revealed it. After questioning by officers of the
Estado-Maior, the Chief of the secret Service, the senior officer
present said to me, 'I am going to ask you a few questions. Don't be
offended because I don't doubt the authenticity of your photos but I
need to hear from you. If you were going to make a flying saucer
appear on a negative, how would you proceed?' 'Commandante, I am an
able photographer specialized in trick photography but not one would
withstand close and accurate examination.'"

3. Brazilian Navy Stand. Immediately after the photographs
of the flying saucer were publicized, the Brazilian Navy refused to
make any official statement confirming or denying the incident.
However, proofs from the original negatives were sent to the other
armed forces and the President via an officer-messenger who related
the complete story. According to the press, the narration so
impressed Mr. Kubichek that he became convinced of the veracity of
the happening.

On 24 February, three days after the photos were first publicized
in the press, the Navy Ministry finally made an official statement: "With reference to the reports appearing in the press that the Navy
is opposed to divulge the facts concerning the appearance of a
strange object over Trindade Island, this Cabinet declares that such
information has no basis. The Ministry has no motive to impede the
release of photographs of the referred to object taken by _______ who
was at Trindade Island at the invitation of the Navy, and in the
presence of a large number of the crew of ALMIRANTE SALDANHA from
whose deck the photographs were taken. Clearly, this Ministry will
not be able to make any pronouncement concerning the object seen
because the photographs do not constitute sufficient proof for such
purpose."

4. Statements of SALDANHA Personnel. On the morning
after the photos of the flying saucer were published in the press
(February 22), the ALMIRANTE SALDANHA departed Rio to continue its
mission in connection with the IGY. Two days later, however, the ship
docked at Santos (February 24) for voyage repairs and this was the
first chance that newspapermen had an opportunity to interview
officers and men aboard. The Assistant Naval Attaché was in
Santos at this time in connection with the visit of USCGS WESTWIND
(Aluena Rio IR 36-58 of 10 March) and and had an opportunity to visit
aboard. The commanding officer, Capitao-de-Mar-e-Guerra (CAPT) Jose
Santos Saldanha de Gama, had not seen the object and was
noncommittal. The executive officer also had not seen it but,
arriving shortly thereafter, had formed the opinion that those on
deck had seen it. The captain had reported that his secretary, a
LCDR, had seen it but this officer when personally questioned avoided
discussing the matter. Later, it was learned that the photographer
was accompanied to the darkroom by an officer who waited outside the
door while Baruna developed the negative alone.

At the time of the official visit of the commanding officer of
WESTWIND to ALMIRANTE SALDANHA, Capt. Saldanha de Gama freely
discussed the flying saucer and showed the original proofs to the
callers but again did not commit himself.

5. Publicity. The press reports after the publication of
the photographs covered a great deal of newspaper space for about a
week, tending to prove or disprove the authenticity of Baruna's
photographs. DIARIO CARICCA reported that personnel of SALDANHA were
under rigid orders of silence. O GLOBO published a story with
photographs by photographer _________ of flying saucers (China) taken
at Cabo Frio.

Federal Deputy Sergio Magalhaws sent a note to the Navy Ministry
on 27 February protesting the Navy's failure to secure sworn
statements of witness. "For the first time in flying saucer history,
the phenomenon was attended by large numbers of persons belonging to
a military force which give these latest photographs an official
stamp. Threats to national security require official attention and
action," said the Deputy. In the middle of all the publicity, other
"flying saucer" sighting reports came out including a naval officer
who saw a flying saucer a month before sighting from SALDANHA off the
coast of Espirito Santo. CO and crew of ATA TRIDENTE said flying
saucer several days before SALDANHA sighting but kept information
secret.

Preparing Officer's Comments:

1. Most flying saucer stories are not worth wasting
much time or effort, but this story apparently substantiated by
official Navy photographs taken in the presence of large number of
Navy personnel under closely controlled and almost ideal
circumstances should have absolutely proved the existence of an
unidentified flying object. Unfortunately, further investigation
provided only frustration at every turning. A number of Brazilian
Navy officers profess to believe the story implicitly but whether
they have more information than we is unknown.

2. There appear to be only two explanations for this peculiar
incident:

a) Some overwhelming power has told the Brazilian Navy not to
officially verify this incident (which they should easily be able to
do, if it occurred) nor to deny it (which they should easily be able
to do, if it is a fake). I personally do not believe that anyone has
told the Brazilian Navy to keep quiet about it because there has been
no hint of such suppression in either Brazilian or U.S. circles; and
also because I doubt their control of the individual officers and men
is good enough to hold the line.

b) The whole thing is a fake publicity stunt put on by a crooked
photographer and the Brazilian Navy fell for it. This seems like the
most likely considering Brazilians' love from sensationalism and
gossip, their well-known propensity for never letting the truth stand
in the way of a good story, and general bureaucratic inefficiency.

3. In addition, the photographs furnished by the Brazilian Navy
are unconvincing. Details of the land are extremely sharp but the
disc is hazy and has little contrast and shows no shadow effect. It
also appears that the object was inverted in photograph 2 compared to
1 and 3. Also the papers have mentioned extremely high velocities and
there appears to be no lateral blurring as would occur with any
reasonable shutter speed.

4. It is the reporting officer's private opinion that a flying
saucer sighting would be unlikely at the very barren island of
Trindade, as everyone knows Martians are extremely comfort-loving
creatures.

Prepared and forwarded:
S/M. Sunderland
Capt, USN.

The Blue Book files on this case also contain a United Press
dispatch from Rio de Janeiro of February 25, 1958, which stated that
the Brazilian Navy Ministry confirmed the UFO sighting and photos as
real. The dispatch stated:

The Brazilian Navy Ministry vouched today for the
authenticity of the photographs of a "flying saucer" taken recently
aboard the Navy survey ship, Almirante Saldanha.

Navy Minister Adm. _____ said after meeting with President
Kubichek in the summer presidential palace at Petropolis, that he
also vouched personally for the authenticity of the pictures.

The Navy has a great secret which it cannot divulge because it
cannot be explained," the minister said.

"One would think that our own government would have enough
diplomatic contacts in Brazil to confirm or deny officially the
authenticity of the photographs. In any case, the Brazilian UFO
photos remain in the Blue Book files under the listing of "Hoax." Perhaps only the Brazilian government will ever know for sure."

For three cases that occurred approximately 2 months prior to
Trindade, see: